Today’s itinerary includes two of Beijing’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Summer Palace and The Temple of Heaven. Both are beautiful as well as historically important. Both should be on anyone’s “Must Visit” list if they’re planning a trip to Beijing.
Not Your American Breakfast
First, we needed to fuel our bodies for the long day we had ahead of us, for there is one thing about visiting China, you will do a lot of walking no matter where you go, so be prepared.
This was our first breakfast in China and it was interesting. It wasn’t a typical American style breakfast that’s for sure. First, instead of an omelet station, there was a soup station. Here, you had the choice of a couple of types of soup, then you could add ingredients like noodles, shrimp, parsley, etc. to it. They would then put a fried egg on top. I had to have it and it was delicious. The rest of the buffet style “breakfast” was also not what I consider traditional breakfast food. They did have some fruit and pastries, but mostly food I would be more inclined to have for lunch, or even dinner, with a lot of noodle and rice dishes. I somehow managed to not walk away hungry though!
We met our tour guide, Cassie, after breakfast. She is a young, smart, funny Chinese woman from Chengdu—a city we will be visiting later on in our tour. We immediately liked her and she was going to be a great leader for us on our adventure. We also met the other people who would be joining us on our tour, there being 16 of us in total. From what I can tell of our traveling companions, it looks like we will be having a fun 4 weeks.
Our first site visit today was the Summer Palace. It is in the northwest part of Beijing, about a 40 minute bus ride from the city center. It was nice to get a good look at the city as we drove through it, and already my camera was smoking. Lynda remarked on how interesting even their office buildings are architecturally, and she’s right, there are some really contemporary, creative buildings here. Those are juxtaposed to the small, family owned shops and hutong alley entrances that line so many of the streets.
The weather today is overcast, breezy, and LOTS cooler than yesterday. I’m starting to wonder if my cardigan will be warm enough. After yesterday’s heat, I’m glad I even have that with me. Also, luckily for us, yesterday’s pollution has all but disappeared. It should be a good day for photos!
The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace was really impressive. I wish I had done more historical research before our trip, as I think that being able to connect a place to knowledge is so much more powerful than just seeing some buildings. But Cassie and Mick were great guides and I learned a lot, so here is some Summer Palace info:
Like I mentioned before, the Summer Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To be on the UNESCO list, a site must reflect the “world's cultural and natural diversity of outstanding universal value.” UNESCO describes the Summer Palace as, "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value". It is 1.1 square miles in size, and you will need at least a half a day to visit it.
The history of the Summer Palace (Yíhé Yuán - Nourishing Peace Garden) dates back to the 12th century, but the buildings and gardens of today were initially built in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong as a celebration of his mother’s 60th birthday and as a retreat from the walled-in Forbidden City. Unfortunately, in 1860, much of it was looted and destroyed by the Anglo-French Allied Forces at the end of the Second Opium War. It was soon rebuilt again in 1886 by the Empress Dowager Cixi in honor of her own 60th birthday (Cixi essentially ruled China during this time for 47 years). Again, in 1900, it was heavily damaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers, and again, quickly rebuilt. In 1924 it was opened up to the public.
Some of my favorites were:
The Long Corridor is an almost 800 yard long covered walkway that runs alongside the lake. It was built by the Emperor Qianlong for his mother so she could enjoy the gardens protected from the sun and rain. But while the view is great, it’s the magnificent paintings that will really catch your eye—over 14,000 of them on the beams and ceiling!
The Marble Boat is a pavilion made of wood that looks like marble and sits on a stone base in the water. Ironically, it was built by the Empress Dowager Cixi by using funds earmarked for the Imperial Navy (some might say embezzled). Modeled after a paddle boat, it is the only structure in the Summer Palace based on Western design.
Oriole-Listening Hall was where the Empress Dowager Cixi would enjoy opera performances. It is now a restaurant specializing in Qing imperial cuisine. We had lunch there and the food was delicious. The waitresses were dressed as concubines and our food was served family style on a lazy susan (which is a very common way for food to be served in China).
The Temple of Heaven
I could have spent an entire day at the Summer Palace, but our time in Beijing is limited and there is still so much to see. So after lunch, we headed over to the Temple of Heaven: a beautiful complex of religious buildings set inside a larger park. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was easy to see why.
As we were headed into the temple area, we were drawn to a gathering of older people playing cards and games all along the walkway railing. They were having so much fun, and it was entertaining to watch them. When they would play a card, they wouldn’t just nicely set it down, instead, they would slam it down as if to say, “Take that!” Having Cassie with us was great as she was able to ask questions and interpret for us. It also allowed us to get some good people photos.
The Temple of Heaven is a religious complex built between 1406 and 1420 and used by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for ceremonies of prayer for abundant harvests. It was built by the same emperor that built the Forbidden City, the Yongle Emperor. Symbolism is important in China, and the color of the roofs has significance. The dark blue of the temple roofs represent Heaven. In addition, throughout the complex, the earth is represented by a square, and Heaven, by a circle.
The complex has a number of buildings you’ll want to see, including:
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests – The building you will notice first upon entering the complex. It is circular and sits atop three tiers of marble stone, each tier decorated with carved dragons. The building itself is made from wood, with no nails. This is where the Emperor would pray for a good harvest. Inside, the 12 pillars represent the 12 months of the year, and the 4 inner pillars, the 4 seasons.
Vermilion Steps Bridge – An 1181 foot long (360 meters) raised walkway connecting the Hall of Prayer area to the Imperial Vault. It’s also call the Danbiqiao Bridge or Sacred Way. The bridge is slightly lower on the south end, and the Emperors believed this was a bridge to Heaven. The center of the walkway is slightly raised and was considered the sacred path to Heaven. On one side of the path the Emperor would walk, while princes and the other high officials would walk on the other side.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven – It looks a little like a smaller Hall of Prayer and is a place to house God’s tablets used in the Ceremony Worshiping Heaven. It’s known for its Echo Wall, three Echo Stones, and Dialogue Stone which each have unique sound carrying facilities.
The Circular Mound Altar – The main ceremony platform. Here the emperors would offer their sacrifices each year on the winter solstice for a good harvest for the coming year.
The Park - If you have time, wander through the park too. You will soon forget that you are inside one of the world’s most populous and crowded cities. In the morning there are groups of people doing exercises and dance, so if you can get there early, check that out too.
Peking Duck or Beijing Roast Duck
We were able to walk to dinner tonight, which was really nice. On the menu was a Beijing signature dish: Peking Duck. Also called Beijing Roast Duck, it is made from Pekin Ducks, a type of duck raised specifically for just this dish. After slaughter, the meat is prepared by pumping air under the skin to separate the skin from the meat and fat. It is then dunked in boiling water for 1 to 5 minutes. After cooling, it is glazed and marinated with a maltose syrup and other spices and flavors and hung to dry for 1 to several days in a cool dry place after which it is roasted in an oven. It is typically served by the chef slicing up the meat table-side and is known for its crispy outer skin and juicy meat. Our meal was delicious, and included other dishes as well, my favorite being the fish that had an orange sauce to it. If you are a meat eater, I would definitely set aside at least one meal in Beijing for some Peking Duck.
Next: The Great Wall, a home visit, and Mongolian hotpot!
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